


Game Over

by AlexanderTemple



Category: Original Work
Genre: Business, Cheating, Class Differences, F/M, Marriage, Multi, Romance, Social Status, Tragic Romance, tycoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22072912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexanderTemple/pseuds/AlexanderTemple
Summary: This is the story about a man who was born in the lower class and a woman who was born in the upper-class.  Could there ever be true love between two people that come from opposite backgrounds and are so different?
Kudos: 1





	1. Puppy Love

I was born into a family that always had a roof over their head and food to eat. I never needed anything and never considered that we were lower class. However, I did live in a time where society was divided into classes. Very few could boast that they were part of the upper class, while the majority lived in the lower class. 

I was born in Ireland in a small rural town in the middle of the 19th century. I was the oldest of 9 children and my parents called me Allie. This is something other boys always teased me about as it sounded like a girl's name. My mom was always busy keeping our cottage clean, cooking and taking care of her big family. 

Dad was a gardener and worked at the Sandalwood Mansion. He was a hard worker and proud of his job. I looked up to him and he seemed as if he was the wisest man in the world. I also admit that I kept clear of him when he drank beer. He could drink beer by the gallon. I always wondered how his stomach could accommodate so much. Despite my father's drinking habits, he worked very hard and believed that hard work brought you closer to God. 

My father did not understand the Sandalwoods. They were the upper-class family in our town and landlords. My father never did understand how a man and woman and one daughter my age could live in such a big manor house and never work. He told me they had nothing to do all day and this must have made their lives dull. 

Dad told me my destiny was decided. I would follow in his footsteps and be a gardener. This was a job I could be proud of. I would get blisters on my hand and be tired at the end of the day, but it would be a productive job and it had no shame. 

So when I was 13, Dad told me that I would be working at the gardens of the manor with him. I would learn the difference between weeds and plants and learn how to landscape. 

So I was now a gardener apprentice at the manor. The Sandalwoods had a huge garden and they expected it to look perfect at all times, so we worked very hard. The work was so hard, that I often just went to sleep when I came home. My mother would get upset at my dad and tell him not to work me so hard. Dad would just say I was a man and could do a man's job. 

I remember the first time I saw Mr. Sandalwood. He was wearing a tweed suit and had a hunting gun with him. My father introduced myself and slapped my head because I did not take off my cap to show respect. He was a nice man and spoke with a funny accent. He welcomed me to the manor and hoped that my work would be as good as my dad's. Then he talked with dad about some work he wanted to be done. 

Dad told me afterward that Mr. Sandalwood was a good man, even for a higher class man. However, he could be very demanding. 

I remember the first time that I have seen his daughter. Her name was Sarah. I saw her in the garden sitting and playing with some kittens. I just stood there and stared at her with my mouth wide open. She was the same size as me and had long hair that had a huge and prominent ponytail. She had a small face and wore glasses. She wore the nicest dress that I have ever seen in my life. It was like everything went slow motion and I was sure that she looked like an angel. I could have stood there all day just looking at her. However, dad gave me a slap on the back of my head and told me to get back to work. 

My life changed when I first saw Sarah! I knew that I was in love! Every time I saw her in the garden or seen her through the windows in the manor, my heart would skip a beat and I would just stare at her. I wanted so much to speak with her and even be by her side all the time. I wanted her to be my first kiss. I knew I had this sickness called love. 

I knew another girl that worked as a kitchen maid at the manor. She was my age and fun to speak with. She has seen how I looked at Sarah and would laugh and tell me that I was doomed. There could never be love between a boy like me and a girl in the upper-class. Heidi could have been right, it would have been better if I loved Heidi and not Sarah, but my heart decided it was Sarah that I loved!

Sarah spoke with me one day. That was when I was singing in the church choir and done a solo. Sarah came up to me after and told me that I had a great voice and she enjoyed my solo. I stammered back to her, unable to put a sentence together. The girl I loved and admired finally spoke to me. She giggled when I could not answer and she must have thought it was funny that I was so shy. 

She never praised me again for my voice, as it broke and now I had a deeper voice. 

The years went by, and I was becoming a good gardener. When I was 19, I had more responsibility, because my dad left us to be together with a new woman. This broke my mother's heart that had given her best years to my father. It also meant that the oldest of her children had to support the family. 

So I continued working as a gardener. I was good at it but did not want to spend the rest of my life in a garden earning a small bit of money each week. I wanted to own something. Sarahs lovely dresses and her style inspired me of dreaming about clothing the whole country. Even if someone was in the lower class, there must have been an opportunity to dress well. However I was poor, so this was just a dream. It was impossible to move up in the social ladder. 

I still was in love with Sarah and would watch her every day as she took a walk through the garden. Sarah grew up to be a lovely woman that always had the nicest dresses on. Her hair was still a ponytail, and it seemed like it was perfect all the time. She would sit under a tree and read a book. Reading and learning seemed to be her favorite past time. 

One day she stopped and talked to me as she was taking a walk. I was so shy around her that I never knew what to say. She would tell me about what she just read and I would listen to every word. It made Sarah happy that I quickly learned what she was explaining. 

In time, Sarah found me every day and we would talk and talk. She was so intelligent but at the same time very stubborn. She would listen to my ideas, but if they were not the same as hers, she would roll her eyes and tease that it was my lower-class mind. 

I was so much in love with her, and this was a hard secret to know. Only Heidi and my mother knew. They both told me that I was foolish to fall in love with a woman in the upper class. My mother said she could understand I had a childhood crush on Sarah. She called it puppy love, however, such love would only be doomed. They both explained to me that Sarah would end up marrying an aristocrat, and not a poor gardener. 

Mr. Sandalwood could also see something was going on. One day he told me that he noticed how I looked at his daughter. He warned me that falling in love with her can only end up in disaster. Mr. Sandalwood asked me what could I even offer her. I did not earn enough. He told me that Sarah was raised in luxury with the best and she was respected by the people in the upper class. Mr. Sandalwood finished by telling me that I did not have the right status to be in love with his daughter. 

Sarah knew that I had a crush on her. She would giggle when I flirted with her and call me foolish. This was probably true. I could have been content with being her friend. Even friendship was uncommon between people of two social classes. I should have listened to my mother and remember the social class that I belonged in. 

I knew that Sarah was born with privileges and she was spoiled. She could never live the life of a commoner, that had no money and simple cottages. It made me think that love had so many limitations. It was not enough to love from the heart. One needed to have the right social status, the right religion, and the right family. 

I understood that my love for Sarah was doomed. She was not in love with me. Even if she was in love with me, I could not offer her the life she was used to. My love for Sarah would force her to live a harder life, without a nice house, pretty clothes and good food. 

I came to the conclusion that the best way I could love Sarah was not to love her. This was no easy thing to do. I tried to convince myself not to be in love with Sarah, but she would always have a special place in my heart. I would always love her!

You remember that I told you about the woman in the kitchen. Her name was Heidi. I knew that she had feelings for me. My plan was simple. I would court Heidi and see where it led. It seemed like the perfect plan. She had the same social status as me and maybe I could learn how to love her. Maybe she would help me forget Sarah. 

Heidi was a totally different woman than Sarah. She joked and laughed a lot and liked to have a good time. She was fun to be with and yet she was so unpredictable. Like one day we were walking through town, and suddenly she went into the pub. We had a few drinks and I do not think I ever laughed so much. Heidi told me that life was to short to be serious and it was only human to want to be able to smile and laugh!

I continued courting Heidi. She confessed to me that she was deep in love with me and we should get married. This was very strange for her to say. She told me once that marriage ties people down so they stop having fun in their life. So the fact that she wanted to get married was big change to our relationship and made it suddenly sound so serious. 

I was not ready for a commitment. I was not in love with Heidi. She was a woman I could have fun with. My heart was still broken because it loved a person that it could not have.... Sarah.

Still, I continued with Heidi. I was now 21 years old and have to admit that I lost my virginity one night when Heidi and I had too many drinks. I did not see this lovemaking as something romantic or something to do with love. Heidi considered it as a proposal of marriage. I considered it as a fun experience. 

I smiled when Heidi mentioned marriage and told her we could talk about it another time. This delay did not stop Heidi from finding me in the garden and jumping on me planting a huge kiss on my mouth. At times we would simply roll around the grass kissing each other and forgetting everything all around us. 

It was at one of these times when we noticed Sarah standing looking down at us rolling around the ground. She had this look of shock on her face and looking at me she said the whole situation was disgraceful. I started stammering again explaining to Sarah that it was not what she thought. I admitted that it was not done out of love. Heidi was in tears as she heard me say that I did not love her. 

Heidi was fired from the kitchen. She wrote me a short letter telling me that I had no heart and that I used her. She wrote that she wanted someone she loved to have her virginity and the love she had for me was a big mistake in her life. Heidi left town to go to Dublin. I heard people saying that she was trying to be an actress and famous. Deep down I prayed that she would succeed. 

When Sarah fired Heidi, it did give me some hope. I figured that Sarah did it out of jealousy. It never occurred to me that Sarah would be doing it for moral reasons. This gave me hope that Sarah loved me too. Our love was true love that would prevail and win despite social restrictions. The whole idea that Heidi was fired because Sarah loved me gave me new hope. 

This was until one day when I saw Sarah walk with another man in the garden. Sarah as smiling and laughing as they walked. The man was definitely a gentleman and this made me assume that he wanted to court Sarah. I was never so jealous that I was at that moment. I wanted to jump on the man and beat him up. I wanted him to leave Sarah alone. 

The next day, I went up to Sarah and told her that I was in love with her. I told her that I loved her since I was a boy. The whole fling with Heidi was an attempt to forget Sarah. I went on my knees and told her we were now adults. We could be happy together and defy social norms and expectations. 

Sarah started blushing and giggling and then walking away. This was not good enough. I shouted and demanded her to answer if she had any feelings for me. 

Sarah looked back at me and her smile was gone. She told me she had to find her father. 

I was heartbroken. I thought it would be so romantic that Sarah would tell me how much she loved me. It seemed like the love between us was only one way! I did not go back to work and spent the next few weeks being drunk on my bed at home. My mother was worried and told me not to let this destroy me. I just continued feeling sorry for me. 

After a while, mom had enough. She threw an envelope on the bed and told me to get out of her house and to leave town. She warned me that it was my responsibility to find where I belonged in this world

So I walked out of town and decided I was going to Dublin. I opened the envelope and never seen so much money. Mom wrote a note saying this was her life savings for when she got old. She wanted me to be happy and follow my dreams. 

As I walked by the manor, I saw Sarah in the garden. She looked at me with a worried look on her face. 

I whispered goodbye to the town I lived all my life in and I walked along the road to what the future held in store for me. 

To be continued


	2. Supremity

I was now 24 and moved to Dublin after my childhood crush Sarah turned down my love. It broke my heart, as I was sure that we could have been happy together. Mom gave me her life savings and told me to get out of town. I reluctantly did this with a promise that I would make my mother proud.

I rented a small shop in Dublin and spent all the money on clothes for men, women, and children. The shop's name was Supremity, as I wanted the clothes to be the best quality as well as the best prices. This was after days of walking around Dublin and seeing how much people charged for clothes.

For the next 4 years, Supermity was the only thing I thought about. I dedicated all my time to sell the best clothes that I could. It was a success and money was rolling in. I did not waste this money and expanded the shop again and again until it was one of the largest shops in Dublin. I wanted the shop to look posh and yet anyone could shop there. While I have seen that some shops just cater to the upper class, we catered for everyone.

It was at this time I met Mr. Noah. He also had a successful shop and I loved the clothes that he sold. He told me that he had a factory that produced the clothes as he designed them himself. This gave me new ambitions.

So I spent what money I had and opened a new factory where women sewed clothes. This was a huge gamble. I was not certain I could even design clothes. I just drew and used my imagination and thought of what Sarah would wear. I would close my eyes and pretend that she was walking around the garden and then draw what she wore.

I was getting stressed about the shop. I had people working for me, but I needed help to run the shop. I was running the shop, and factory while designing clothes. I was working 18 hours a day. You would think that this helped me forget Sarah. It did not. I realized that the love for her was not just a childhood crush. She was the love of my life. The problem was that it was a one-way relationship.

Noah was by now a good friend, despite I stole his idea about the factory. He had a different style so it was not like we were competitors. We inspired each other and he often gave me some ideas on how Supremity could be better.

Noah could also be serious about my social life. He told me that life is his great inspiration. His friends and his love affairs gave him the energy and ideas on how to work. He thought that I worked too much and asked me when will I settle down with a woman that I love. I told him about Sarah which Noah did not understand. He warned me that the obsession I had for Sarah would destroy me.

It was at this time that a woman came to the shop asking to work. Her name was Annie. She was so beautiful. She had the nicest dark hair that I ever have seen and she had a nice face with a beautiful smile and eyes. She had a very old dress with clean white gloves. She told me that she wanted to sell clothes, but no place would hire her as she was not a native. She came from Mexico. I could not hear any accent.

I spoke with Annie for a bit and found out that she was very intelligent. I told her that she would not be selling dresses at Supremity, I told her she would help me run the shop. She would be the manager so I could concentrate on designing clothes. This was the best decision I ever made. Annie was loved by the staff and customers, and she changed shopping to something that was an experience and fun. Her policy was to spoil the customer and make them think they got something at a great price. It was also at this time that I hired more designers.

I was now 30 years old and has more spare time. I still did not think about romance. I did think that Annie was so beautiful and had all the qualities that I liked. I did not flirt with her as I thought it would be bad mixing business and love together. Maybe I was afraid of romance. Maybe I was afraid that if I asked a woman again, I would find out that she had no feelings for me.

I figured that Supremity was my love. It was loyal and made me very rich. I even thought about opening new shops. One thing that I was sure of was that money or status would never be a problem when I did fall in love.

I never did open the extra shop. I bought a big townhouse, where I told my mother she could live with me as well as my smallest brother and sisters. Mom was so delighted that she did not have to worry about money. She was still very humble and told us that she could never be a snob. Every time I gave her some money, she gave it to the poor. I was happy that mom and my brothers and sisters bought some life into the house. This was despite that mom always lectured me on finding a wife. She would tell me that I worked too hard and how rich did I want to be?

One day, I was walking around the shop when I saw Sarah and another woman. My heart jumped when I saw Sarah. She looked more mature but still was the prettiest woman alive. I continued walking around thinking that she would not want to meet me there. I would still be the gardener boy in her eyes. I could not help but stare at her. All the old feelings I had suppressed came back to me.

As I was in my thoughts walking around the store, luck would have it that I bumped into Sarah. At first, there was an embarrassing silence between us. Then Sarah told me that she was visiting Dublin and she had to visit Supremity. She told me everyone talked about it and warned her she had to visit it. She tried to start a conversation by asking me why I was here. I told her that life has been kind to me and I owned the shop.

Sarah told me that she was not married and I admitted the same thing. We did not talk about the time I told her that I loved her. In fact, Sarah blushed when I said that I was single and told me she had to go, her father expected her home.

I was depressed once again after Sarah left. Why was I so cursed and why could I not forget her. I started going to the gentleman's club and flirted with any woman that smiled at me. I was now 33 years old, and I figured I been wasting all my life to notice that Sarah was even interested in me.

Mom was worried. She said that I was nearly like my father. I drank too much and I slept with a different woman every night. She said there was a lot of gossip about me. Some people thought I was an alcoholic while everyone thought that I was a womanizer. I told my mom that I was over 30, and I built up a successful business. It was time that I had some fun. I did not consider sex to be sacred to marriage. It was fun and it was satisfying. Mom just sighed and said sex is a sign of love. How many of these women really liked being in bed with me? Would they do the same if I was poor?

This bothered me during the next few days. The women I slept with did not sleep with me because they loved me. Did they even think I was handsome? Would they have wanted to have sex with me if I was just a gardener?

When would I ever meet someone that wanted me for who I was?

I got another shock one day when my dad suddenly came to the shop. I had not seen or heard from him in 11 years. He was proud when he saw me dressed as a gentleman and told me that he was proud that I had such a successful business. I did not know what to say to dad. He was dressed in tattered clothes and smelled like a brewery. I had mixed feelings about my father coming back. What would mom say and did he want to patch things up with her? Dad asked me for a job as he wanted to settle down. I told him he could be a janitor in the factory as things there needed to be repaired all the time. He stormed out as he expected to be a manager in the store.

He also visited mom. He wanted to forgive her and despite my best advise mom accepted his apology. She explained to me that marriage was a promise until death. It was her duty to obey her husband. I thought this was ridiculous. He lived the last decade with a woman that finally kicked him out for cheating. Would he have been back if that woman did not kick him out? Why did he not contact us for all these years?

So now I had my father living with me. Our house became a hell as he was drunk most of the time and always anger at mom. He would be mad that I did not offer him an allowance. I was frustrated and mad at him. Annie was a blessing at this time of my life. She would tell me to have hope and courage and things will end fine. Mom noticed as well how much I spoke with Annie and even asked me did I not notice that Annie had deep feelings for me? Mom said I should court Annie. The fact is I respected Annie too much. I considered her a close friend. She was not one of the women that I had a sexual relationship with. I did not want to mix business and romance.

I got an invitation to the Sandalwood party before they left Dublin. Mom warned me not to go as it would just bring back old memories. I didn't think twice about it and put on my best clothes to go to the party.

The people there were old aristocratic families while they considered me as “new money”. They were all snobs and I could see how they looked down at me, despite I most likely was richer than them. Sarah was different that night. She spoke a lot to me and kept her dances only for me. All my old feelings came back and I was once again like a puppy in love. Sarah was also different. It was like she was best friends with me. I never was so happy than I was that night. I knew that I loved Sarah and it was no puppy love. It was true love.

Sarah must have felt the same as well. She told me that she decided to stay in Dublin. She also hinted again and again that I should ask her father if I could court her. This was the most exciting thing that I ever heard. Sarah wanted me to court her. I wondered how one party would change her mind. Maybe she always had feelings for me!

Asking her dad for permission to court Sarah was the hardest thing I ever have done in my life. He knew me as a gardener and told me once that I had nothing to offer her. However, when I asked him, he smiled and said that he was proud of my success. He told me that he heard rumors that I was a womanizer and drank too much, and warned me not to hurt his daughter. I shook his hands promising that this would never happen.

So for the next 6 months, I courted Sarah. We went to theaters and parks and the different restaurants in Dublin. Sarah was the same as she was years earlier. She loved talking about what she read and was very conservative. She told me what sort of life she wanted. She wanted to be married to a man that was totally devoted to her. She wanted children that she could cherish and love. She wanted a quiet life, where she had a strong loving family.

I told Noah this one day and told her of my intention of marrying Sarah. Noah told me that it would be hard for me to settle down to a quiet life with Sarah. He told me to think about if I was in love or was it an obsession. He explained that I was very ambitious and did not like to lose. He told me the one thing I did not win in my life until now was Sarah. Noah asked me if she was the trophy I could never win or could I live the quiet life that Sarah wanted?

I was going to get married to Sarah and the day came for the marriage. Sarah never looked so beautiful and I could not believe that she was now my wife. This was like a fairytale. I was hoping that we would have a great life.

I was not wrong. Life at the start was like living in heaven. Sarah disliked living in Dublin, but she was a dedicated wife that supported me as much as she could. Things were going great at Supremity and this was mostly credited to the work Annie put in at running the shop. I would go to work and spend most of my day in the office with Annie. Working was fun as she had so much life in her and had a solution for everything.

Then I would come home and eat dinner with Sarah and my mother. We would spend our nights looking in the fireplace while I drew new designs for clothes and Sarah would read a book. Dad would never be home. We would hear him much later coming home drunk as could be.

I tried helping Dad for the sake of my mother. I gave him the job of running the factory and I must admit that profits increased from the factory. I did not have to visit it, as Dad was a good manager. I admit that I also did not want to see him.

Seven years after I was married, my mother died. This was devastating for me and would change my life. Dad didn't even come to the funeral. I spent the next few weeks depressed. This was when I started playing cards and gambling at the gentleman's club. I was trying to get over my mother's death and the risk of gambling gave me a new high.

I should have been content with my life. At 41, I had a successful business and a dedicated and loving wife that gave me 3 children. Lila, Joyce, and Mara were born over the years and ensured there would always be activity in the house.

The problem was that I did not notice them. I started drinking and gambling and hardly ever seen my children. I could not be at home. It reminded me so much about my mother.

The only time I was happy was at the club or work. Annie was always cheerful and did her best to make me interested in the business. Once I was in such a good mood at the profits were record high that I got up from my desk and caught Annie's hands and swung around the room. We ended up on the floor and I gave Annie a passionate kiss.

This went on for some time until Annie slapped me across the face and said, “This is wrong. Sarah is my friend! What would your wife say?”

How would I explain this to Sarah?

_To be Continued_


	3. The Good life

I could not believe that I kissed Annie. I hated my dad for cheating on mom over and over again, and here I have done the same. Sarah was the love of my life and it took me decades to get her to accept my love. Now that she was my wife, she was everything a man could wish for. She always looked beautiful and was great at making the townhouse a place where a family could be. She was a great mother to our 3 daughters. I had no excuse to kiss Annie. I knew that I had to be honest with Sarah. Would she ever forgive me?

I came home early and Sarah was painting with the girls. Lila jumped up and gave me a hug, and before I knew it, I was wrestling all the girls on the floor. Sarah was wearing a lovely floral petticoat dress and her ponytail looked as good as it ever was. She just sat down and smiled at us while she drank some tea.

It was a treat that I came home early. The girls never have seen me a lot. I hated being at home because it reminded me so much about my mother. However, the kiss with Annie made me realize that I hated being away from Sarah and the children. I tried to convince myself that the kiss was a wake-up call. I was married to the woman I loved and the girls were growing so fast!

When we were finished our youngest daughter Mara wanted me to read a story. So I sat down on the sofa and read them all a story. At one stage Lila interrupted me and asked me if I was ok. She was our oldest daughter and very much like her mother. She was intelligent and very perceptive. I smiled and told her I was doing fine. Mara saved me by insisting that I continue with the story. I will admit that enjoyed being together with my daughters.

Sarah got a telegram and after she read it, I could see her crying. It was not often that I have seen her in tears. The girls looked worried as they saw their mother start crying. Mara went over to her and jumped on her lap and asked what the matter was? Sarah told us that her father was dead. I knew how much her father meant for Sarah. He took care of her since her mother died. He protected her and gave her the best of everything.

I told the maid to take the children up to their bed. Sarah and I needed to be alone.

This was not the time to tell Sarah about a kiss. I just sat down next to her and put my arm around her. I hated when Sarah cried. I hated when any woman cried. I did not know what to say to her. She lost one of the most important people in her life. The only thing I could say is that we would travel to the Sandalwood manor the next day. Sarah looked at me and thanked me for being there.

That night I twisted and turned in my bed. I could not sleep. I dreamt about the kiss with Annie. The kiss was nothing else than I ever tried and it was like kissing in heaven. The problem was that I knew I had feelings for Annie. She was so beautiful and yet she was the opposite of Sarah. Annie had long dark curly hair, that she obviously took care of. She was intelligent and very curious. She was not as eloquent as Sarah was. Her style was more conservative and simple. This suited Annies personality that wanted everyone to be happy. She really cared about how people were doing. She was always cheerful and giving a helping hand. I loved Sarah. Did I also love Annie?

We went back to the town that we were born and the day came when Mr. Sandalwood would be buried. The funeral was sad as it was difficult to console Sarah. She was in black and hid her sorrows by a black veil. I held on to her hand and squeezed it to remind her that I was there. The problem was that I was not there. I was looking at Annie, who was also at the burial. My mind was on the kiss and what should be done now.

After the funeral, Sarah was talking with family and friends. I found Annie as I wanted to apologize to her. Annie started by explaining that Sarah was her best friend. She did not want to hurt her best friend. Annie told me that the only solution would be for her to resign.

“ We are adults,” I explained, “ You cannot resign from Supremity. The shop needs you! I need you. We kissed each other because we had feelings for each other. Should we just ignore these feelings?”

Annie started crying and admitted that she loved me. The problem was that she did not want to hurt Sarah. I took her into Mr. Sandalwoods' bedroom and told her that Sarah did not need to know. Annie was confused but she told me that she trusted me. I led her to Mr. Sandalwoods' bed and we ended up having sex together. We were not making love, as people call it. This was just pure animal sex. There was no love involved from my side. After we were done, Annie made me promise not to tell Sarah. Annie felt guilty about sex but did not want her best friend to know.

I had no intention of telling Sarah anything. What would Sarah say if she knew I had sex with another woman on her father's bed while Sarah was with mourning guests. I figured that thousand of men were married, and the vast majority of them had a mistress. Even kings had a queen and a mistress. It did not mean that I loved Sarah less. It meant that Annie and I were just humans.

Annie listened as I made excuses. Her only response was that it may be common to have a mistress, but is it right?

Annie went back to Dublin. Sarah was still sad and depressed over her father's death. When everyone left and the children were put into bed, Sarah told me that she wanted to move back to the Sandalwood mansion. I told her we would do as she wanted. It would mean sacrifices for me, as I had to travel a lot to Dublin because of the shop. Sarah told me that she did not like Dublin and wanted to live in her childhood home.

So I started to leave a double life and this was for the next five years. I stayed half the time at the Sandalwood manor, being a good husband and father. I would do my work from home and let Annie run the shop in Dublin. I enjoyed this time as I was together with Sarah and the children. It was like we were in heaven while we were together. I would love to wake up and see her sweet smile, I loved sitting in the bed as she brushed her long blond hair. Sometimes, I would drag her to the bed where we would spend as much time as we could kissing and making love until it was time to be with our children.

I enjoyed being with my daughters. They were all different and yet I loved and each of them. I wanted them to have the best in this life. I was hoping that I would have a son that could take over Supremity. This annoyed Sarah when I said this and called me old fashioned asking why a girl cannot run a business.

The thing is that despite I loved being with my family, I would also get restless and want some action. So once in a while, I would make an excuse to go to Dublin. I would catch up on what was happening at the shop and this meant spending a lot of time with Annie. These trips in Dublin usually meant that Annie and I would have sex. We would also visit places like museums and theaters and eat in different fancy restaurants. We were lovers and as time went by, we did not think about it as cheating.

I could not complain. Supremity was flourishing. I was in love with two women and had no problem going back and forth between them. I had enough love to give to them both. Of course, I was cheating on Sarah. However, I gave her all the material things she wanted. I made up excuses for my love with Annie. Maybe if Sarah agreed to live in Dublin, things would be different. Annie gave me something that Sarah could not give me. Having a mistress was only human... the excuses went on.

The problem was that I started to believe them!

Annie always felt uneasy about the affair. She was Sarahs best friend and knew at some stage this affair would hurt Sarah. The only reason why she was in this affair was that she thought the love between us was the real thing. Annie told me how she felt and warned me that she would stop the affair. She believed that this was true love and the only way our true love could really shine was that I divorced Sarah. Annie told me that she did not want to be my side dish. She believed in the fairytale of love and wanted a husband and family of her own,

I spoke with my best friend Noah about the affair. He was brutally honest as usual and told me that I was manipulating Annie. He even went as far as to ask if she was just a trophy to put beside my trophy of Sarah. I tried to give Noah the same excuses as I gave myself. Noah would not accept them. He stood on Annie's side and warned me to pick either Sarah or Annie.

I was not ready to do this. I enjoyed my life as it was now. I promised Annie that I would get a divorce with Sarah. Annie believed this and the affair went on. If she would mention that she did not want to be involved with a married man, I would use all my charm and tell her to have patience. I needed the perfect time to tell Sarah.

Of course, I would never ask Sarah for a divorce. When I was with Sarah, I forgot all about Annie and did not need Annie. I never considered that Annie would be in Dublin missing me. I just enjoyed being with Sarah, that was the love of my life. We were soul mates and we belonged to be together.

Lila was now a teenager and wanted to work at Supremity. I agreed to this and hoped that one day she would take over the business that I spent so many years building up. I told her to come to Dublin when she was ready. To be honest, I was so proud of Lila. She was smart and had a great imagination. Sarah told me that I was not strict enough with Lila. Lila was also a bit of a rebel. She liked the newest fashion, which her mother thought was inappropriate for a girl. Lila loved wild hairstyles and she loved makeup. All this made her mother worry. So the job at the shop was a solution that would help Lila to mature.

In the meantime, I was in Dublin and one night Annie and I were like rabbits in the bed. We were in a long session of making love. This was after the usual discussion of when I would divorce Sarah. Annie was now losing her patience and did not believe me when I assured her that it was soon. Once again my charm won over and I led her to my bed where we let our sexual instinct take over.

However, my world collapsed when I saw Lila and Sarah at the bedroom door. Annie and I were under the sheets with a glass of wine. Sarah had Lila's eyes covered. I forgot that they were coming to Dublin. I did not know what to say or do. Annie was so embarrassed that she started to put her clothes on. Sarah told me I was a bastard. Then she left to go downstairs.

When Annie left, I went into Lilas's bedroom. She was laying on her bed crying. She asked me why I did not love her mother. I did not know what to say except to admit to Lila that I made a big mistake and she was never supposed to have seen it. Lila told me to get out of her room. She never wanted to speak to me again.

I slowly went down to Sarah hoping that she would not be as hard to deal with. Sarah was in tears. She was whimpering that she tried to be the best wife she could and wondered how I could ever cheat on her. I sat down next to her and said that it was a mistake. Sarah did not want to talk with me. She stormed out and told me she wanted a divorce. I followed her and begged her to reconsider. This was only a short affair. I told her that I loved her so much. This did not help. Sarah looked into my eyes and said that she could no longer trust me!

The next day I woke up and went to work. I wanted to tell Annie that the affair had to end. I was going to do my best to save my marriage with Sarah. However, there was chaos at the store as reporters were standing outside asking me about the factory. When I went to my office, my lawyers were there. They told me that the factory was accused of using child slave labor and that Supremity was in a lot of trouble. This explained why the shop was empty. I asked where Annie was and was told that she resigned.

I sat in the office thinking my world was crumbling apart. My marriage was in trouble. Annie left. My daughter hated me and now my business empire was falling down around me.

Sarah visited the office and told me that she heard about child slave labor.

“I spoke with Annie,” she said, “This affair is not Annies fault. You manipulated her and used her. You made promises that you could never keep. You are a monster in my view. Despite all this Annie still loves you and she asked me not to divorce you while your shop and business are in so much trouble, The press attention on divorce would be the worse thing. So I will not divorce you. This is also for the children's sake.”

I was relieved about the marriage. I kept clear of Annie, despite that I wanted to be with her and needed her at the shop. Sarah and I still showed people that we were married. In public, we would hold hands and smile at each other, and do the same when we were around the children. In private she would not smile at me or even speak.

Supremiity was in danger. The bad publicity about child labor was hurting us more than we could imagine. There were no customers and we were losing money every day. I called my dad as I put him in charge of the factory. I asked for an explanation. His only defense was that I never complained or asked why factory profits were so high. It had been years since I visited the factory. I told him that he would have to stand up and take responsibility for it. He would have to take the fall.

I was in a depression. My world that I built up was falling around me. Sarah did not speak with me, and Lila hated me. Annie was gone. My dad put the shop and my business in trouble.

I thought I could not be tested more. I was wrong.

A few days later, when the children were in bed, Annie came to our house. She was in tears. She told Sarah that she was pregnant with my child. I admit that even at this stage, I only thought about myself. I wanted the world to swallow me up. I just sat there as Sarah and Annie hugged each other.

The next day when I came home, the house was empty. There was a note from Sarah that she is taking the children back to Sandalwood Manor. She also told me not to come there.

Sarah was going to divorce me!

To be continued


	4. Hard Times

It could not have happened at a worse time. I was trying to regain the trust of Sarah after she found out that I was cheating on her. Now Annie revealed that she was pregnant with my child and that was the last drop for Sarah. She wanted a divorce. I did not try and challenge her. I knew how hurt she was. I totally surrendered to Sarah's demands. She had custody of the children, plus half my fortune and the Sandalwood Manor. I sure made a mess of things.

I decided that I must pull my life together. Annie was now pregnant and it took me some months to convince her that we should be married. Annie was very reluctant, as she felt as much as a victim as Sarah was. So I tried to use my charm and I tried to tell Annie that it was always her that I loved. I told her that it would be best for our child to have a father and mother. I told her lots of things. In the end, she agreed to get married, but warned me not to cheat on her and reminded me she was just doing this for her child.

I assured her that I was a changed man, I wanted a happy marriage and I loved Annie with all my heart. I could see how bad I was to Sarah, but Sarah was now a part of my past. All I wanted now was to have a quiet life with Annie.

We had a quiet wedding which was a news sensation because there were pictures of Annie with a nice pregnant tummy. Neither Sarah or my children came to the wedding. Besides all that the wedding ceremony was beautiful. We had no party afterward as my friends seemed to have disappeared after the divorce with Sarah.

The marriage itself got off to a bad start. The night of the wedding should have been a warning of what was to come. We were about to seal off our marriage vows with some romantic sex. Annie looked as beautiful as ever. She told me she did not like the idea of making love when she was pregnant, in which I assured her that it would be no problem. Annie fell for my charm once again and climbed into the bed. It was not until she saw the picture of Sarah on the bed table staring at her that she insisted that she would not have sex. She was mad that I still had a picture of Sarah beside the bed.

I was frustrated, so I told Annie that I would go out for a walk. I went to the gentleman's club and got drunk while I gambled a lot of money away. After that, I even had sex with a prostitute. This made me drink more as I was mad at myself for cheating on the first day of the marriage. Did I not have any will power on working towards being a better man, and a better husband than I was with Sarah.

Things did not help when I came home in the early hours as Annie was about to get up.

“ Why is it that I am not happy that I have married you?” She started, “ I should be happy. However, I feel like I came in second place and your love for Sarah is still dominant. I have been weak and I have been naïve all this time. I have hurt my best friend by having an affair with her husband. You have used me and manipulated me. You have conned me into marrying you, where I should have just left you out of my life. You have a lot of work to do to make this marriage work. I will not be the victim again!”

I told Annie that I changed and she could trust me. We would be happy together. The outburst she had was most likely because she was pregnant. Women can act strange when they were expecting a child. They would be so emotional and insecure. I told myself that Annie would be fine when the baby was born. I also told myself that the prostitute was a one-time thing. I had to change and be a responsible husband.

Things at Supremity were not going that well either. The next day I found that my father had disappeared while taking a lot of the shop's money with him. I sat in my office as I drank a few bottles of alcohol. It was my fault. Dad showed over and over again that he only thought of himself. He left us when we needed him the most and only came back when he saw that we were rich. Still, I gave him a job at the factory in which he turned into a slave camp. I hoped he would take responsibility and that Supremity could recover. It was obvious that I hoped too much.

The fact is that I did not understand why I hated my dad so much and yet gave him such a big responsibility. Was it because I was so much like him. I had all the bad qualities that my dad had that I disliked. I was his son in every way!

Annie gave birth to a daughter and called her Svenja. The birth of Svenja made Annie smile for the first time in months. I hoped that this meant that Annie could come back to the shop and help me save it, but Annie refused. She insisted that Svenja would not have a governess or maids. Annie would take care of all the girl's needs. This disappointed me as I really did need Annie back at the shop.

The whole scandal of slave work hurt business so hard. The shop was now losing more and more money as customers did not want to shop there anymore. My lawyers managed to keep the whole ordeal from being in court. This meant that I had to pay a lot of money in compensation. I was still rich, but 70% of my money disappeared in compensation costs, lawyer costs and the money Sarah got from the divorce.

I was not going to let this destroy what I worked so hard for. I closed the factory and sold it, using the money in a large advertising campaign, that told people that we got rid of all the corrupt people at the store and we were now back on our legs. The public apology seemed to have worked, as customers slowly came back to the store. It was now breaking even.

Annie was not so happy about the public apology. She told me people would think that she was one of the corrupt people that the shop got rid of. Annie was already mocked and treated in a negative way by the press, as she was seen as the woman that broke up a happy marriage between Sarah and me. I did not defend Annie. I thought she was overreacting. Even when she was jeered at when we were in public, I did not offer any help.

Annie begged me to help her reputation. I was still mad that she would not help at the store and blamed Svenja who could not even speak. This resulted in outbursts from Annie on why I ignored Svenja or why I did not help mend her reputation.

Annies' help came from Sarah. My X-wife wrote a letter to the newspapers asking people not to blame Annie. The long letter explained how I cheated on Sarah and at the same time used Annies' naïve and good personality to manipulate her and con her to having an affair. Sarah wrote that Annie was never fired, but resigned because she wanted to be the best mother that she could. This intervention by Sarah turned the public hatred against Annie to public sympathy. I was once again the bad guy which annoyed me. I saw this as only revenge from Sarah and could not see it as one friend helping another friend.

Sarah refused to speak with me. She refused to even be with me. She made it clear that she was out of my life. This hurt me a lot and I wanted to do anything to have Sarah as a friend. My daughters Joyce and Mara came to visit me once. To be honest I was not interested in how their lives were or did not praise them on their achievements at school. I could not see that they missed having a father and wanted some quality time with me. I asked them over and over on what their mother was doing and was she dating any man. I tried to tell them how they could persuade Sarah that we should be friends! I could not see how disappointed they were when they left. They never visited me again.

Even my friendship with Noah stopped. Noah was always a friend that told me things the way he saw them. He never packed things in cotton. He was very blunt. He told me he was happy that the shop was surviving, but he was worried it would never be the same as its glory days. After I closed the factory, I started using Noah's factory. Noah thought that the quality of the clothes I designed was very bad. He told me that I lost my muse. I lost the person that inspired my designs. I lost Sarah. I didn't see Noah after that. I kicked him out of my office.

Deep down I knew he was right. Supremity was not surviving because of me. I employed a woman named Leonie who did what Annie used to do. However, she had a difficult task. One of her tasks was to deal with me. I would sit in the office all day and drink and flirt with some girls that worked there. I would be constantly drunk.

At night I would go to the gentleman's club and gamble and drink some more. I never won a lot of money and was probably too drunk to see if I had a winning hand. I would end up in bed with some prostitute.

So much for me changing my ways. I was getting worse. It did not help that Annie was totally dedicated to Svenja and she did not have any spare time for me. When we were alone, she would complain that I was drunk and ask how much money I lost while I gambled. Then she would go on about if she could even trust me. Conversations with Annie were hard and I started considering Annie as a nagger. These conversations would usually end by me walking out of the house and seeking refuge in the gentleman's club again.

It was at this time that I started writing letters to Sarah. I would beg her to forgive me and try to convince her where we had a good marriage. Then I would beg her for friendship. These letters were several pages long and they came from my heart. I did not know if Sarah read them or not. I do know that she never replied and this made me write another letter.

I did know that marrying Annie was a mistake. It was not her fault. It was mine. Annie was the perfect mother and the perfect wife. She tried her best dealing with my depression because things were not all that well at Supremity. She even tried to understand why I drank so much and gambled. She nagged because she was worried. She was worried that I would fall dead one day or gamble what money I had left. The problem was that I could not see that she has done this because she cared.

My problem was that I did not think about others. I only thought about myself.

Annie wanted me to be more at home. She pointed out that we were more together when she was a mistress than when she was a wife. I promised I would try which frustrated her more. She did not want to hear my promises anymore. I had to show it by action. She reminded me that Svenja did not know me, and considered me a stranger. My daughter was also afraid of me. This reminded me of when I was a boy, I would be afraid of Dad when he came home and that he was drunk.

It was at this time that I met Heidi. She was the woman I had sex with when I worked as a gardener so many years before. When Sarah found us kissing, Heidi was fired and moved to Dublin. Sarah never knew that Heidi and I had sex and I never told her. I often thought about Heidi. I really hoped she was a success.

One day, she came into my office when I was half drunk. She took a bottle of champagne from her bag and told me it was party time. Then she told me that she heard I was a bad boy. I found out that she was now a party girl and actress. She lived a comfortable life. Heidi must have been the only woman that did not consider herself a victim because of me. She admitted that getting fired changed her life. Now she was famous and lived like a queen.

The next time I saw Heidi was when Annie was visiting. Heidi had a young man with her. I joked and asked if he was not a bit too young for her. Heidi was more interested in Annie and told Annie everything about our past. I could see that Annie was not smiling. Annie was looking at Heidi if she was another victim. I needed a drink.

Heidi then turned to me and said that the young man was her son. His name was Cade. She wanted him to have a nice comfortable job at Supremity. I tried explaining that we were not hiring at the moment and we had no money to employ another manager. Heidi just smiled and said that Cade was my son. It was about time that I cared for him.

Annie had tears in her eyes and stormed out of the office

To be continued


	5. Alone

When Annie stormed out of the office, I ran after her. She told me that she had no intention of speaking with me. I went back and told Leonie that she was fired. Then I hired Cade to replace her.

I did not go home. I went to the gentleman's club and got very drunk. I slept with several prostitutes that night. I do not remember much except that I lost a lot of money when I gambled and I remember telling the prostitutes not to get pregnant.

The next few days were a nightmare. First, there was an interview with Lila on how it is like being my daughter. Lila told the journalist that she did not consider me as her dad. I was just a man that visited her once in a while when she was a small girl. She told the newspaper that I was too busy to be a father as I was more interested in having an affair with Annie. This interview hurt a lot as I knew I was at Sandalwood Manor a lot and did play with my children. I thought this was revenge on Lila's part and never considered how hurt she must be.

The press did not stop there. A few days afterward Leonie (the woman that replaced Annie at the shop) was in the newspapers saying that I sexually harassed her at work. I would call her names such as sexy and fox. I would touch her bum or her breasts. I would hug her and try to kiss. I would constantly ask her to bed. I could not deny all this. At the time I just considered it good fun and did not consider it as harassment. I was, in fact, mad at first, as I thought this was just revenge for firing her.

Annie had enough. She met Heidi and Cade and would be reminded about my victims every time she saw Cade at work. Then she read about what Lila said and thought of how absent I was to Svenja. She considered Leonie the latest victim. What was worse was that Sarah sent Annie all the letters I wrote. Annie was convinced that I was still in love with Sarah.

So it finally happened when one day I came home and found that Annie and Svenja left. Annie wrote that at last she is having the courage and was not blind to recognize what type of man I was. She wrote that she was no longer in love and she hoped that at one day she could forgive me. This was one thing she doubted she could do.

So I was alone. Supremity was surviving but not making any money. I had very little in my bank account. The problem was that I still drank and I gambled a lot.

I also started dating Heidi. She was an interesting woman and always unpredictable. In a way, she was a bit crazy as she loved having fun. She did not mind that I was drunk or that I gambled. She could drink as much as I could. I thought that there was love between us and that I finally found true love. The thing is that Heidi made me feel young again and wanted again. She did not make me feel like I was always hurting someone.

I must admit that Heidi was expensive. After Annie left me, I sold the townhouse and lived in a one-room apartment. The money I got from the sale of the house soon disappeared as Heidi always loved gifts. These were not cheap gifts. They were gifts such as jewelry and furs. Still, I really thought that I found my true love.

I heard that Annie and Svenja moved in with Sarah. It amazed me how much Sarah helped Annie. After all, Annie was the woman who agreed to have an affair. Sarah forgave Annie long ago and thought it was all my fault. She thought that I manipulated and controlled Annie. Now Sarah would give a home to her best friend and they can hate me together. Annie quickly filed for a divorce and she refused to speak with me after she left me.

I now concentrated on my relationship with Heidi. Heidi told me that she wanted to do a play about a woman that worked as a clown in the circus. I thought the play sounded like a boring idea, but Heidi was sure it would bring her to greater fame. The problem was that she could not find anyone to invest in the theater play. I was persuaded that this play would be good for Supremity. I liked it when Heidi was happy, even though this usually cost me a lot of money.

So I loaned the money from the bank and used Supremity as collateral. Heidi was in a great mood that the play would be done.

I knew nothing about theater. There were so many script rewrites and so many delays. Heidi told me that this was normal. The play was what I call art. It was one of those plays that had a strange storyline, that you ask yourself all the time what is it about and what was happening?

It was just not me that did not understand the play. The play got negative reviews and was a total flop. Heidi did not mind. She told me we could try and another theater play.

The problem was that I had no money to pay back the loan. I was basically bankrupt. I sat in my office thinking of ways to pay back the huge loan. The bank informed me that Supremity now had new owners as I could not pay back the loan. I would be allowed to work at the shop, but it was no longer my shop anymore.

When Heidi heard that I lost the shop, she stopped seeing me. She never did love me. She was using me and in some ways getting her revenge on how I treated her. I was now the victim.

My downfall was not complete. Sarah and Annie came to the shop one day and told me that I was being fired. It was them that bought the shop and they would let Lila and Cade run the shop. I was in shock. They wanted revenge! They wanted to hurt me! I tried to use my charm to beg them to let me stay on. Supremity was something I built up. Annie told the guards to escort me out of the shop.

A year later:

I get a pension from Supremity but it is not that much. I spent all day taking a bus to town and sitting on a bench where I could see the shop. It was booming once again and a great success.

At night I would eat soup at the pub and then walk to my simple room, which had a bed and table. I would spend most of the time coughing which was serious, as the doctor told me that I did not have that long left.

I would lay on my bed and look at the pictures on my table. One was a picture of Sarah and one was a picture of Annie. The other pictures were of my children.

I was alone.

The end


End file.
